The Biggest Joke of This Quidditch Tournament
In the VIP box,
Vincent was surrounded by the bigwigs of the Wizarding World, who were showing him great concern and care.
His effortless performance left Sirius Black was sitting in the corner, completely bewildered.
Her speech was elegant, her manners were proper, and her behavior was poised and graceful. This was definitely not just a casual gesture.
When the Scottish Team and Luxembourg Team took to the field, Vincent, whose smile was somewhat stiff, was finally "let off the hook" by the big shots.
He sat in the front row, between Fudge and Dumbledore.
Once there is one, there will be two; once there are two, there will be three.
Sirius Black clicked his tongue and secretly gave him a thumbs up.
The bigwigs took their seats, while Moody, leaning on his cane, quietly went to a corner.
He sat down next to Sirius Black. "Long time no see, kid."
"Long time no see, Mr. Moody."
Both were members of the Order of the Phoenix, and the only two outliers in the entire VIP box.
Sirius Black disdains to curry favor with the so-called big shots in the Wizarding World, while Moody dislikes mingling with chaotic crowds.
The two exchanged a brief greeting and then watched the game in silence.
The Scottish Team got off to a bad start, conceding three goals in quick succession.
Bagman, who was providing the commentary, sounded disappointed, but he didn't say anything too biased.
In the other box, the twins weren't as interested in the game as before.
It wasn't that they didn't place a bet; rather, they were rejected by Bagman.
Is it possible for a gambling addict to turn over a new leaf?
Despite the odds being as low as Fudge wearing women's clothing on the street, the twins had no choice but to accept this surreal reality.
As my good friend Vincent said, it's best not to be too greedy.
150 Gold Galleons is enough to research automatic inkjet quill pens and cute little creatures; it's not too much, but it won't slow down your progress too much either.
"Ahhh—" The kids sitting in front suddenly let out a series of strange screams.
The Scottish Team has conceded a goal yet again.
0:40, a huge disadvantage.
Judging by this, they're probably aiming to break the record of 10:390 set by English Team.
The twins immediately perked up.
They didn't have a high opinion of Scottish Team to begin with, so if Bagman were to take the bets, he would at least double his winnings.
Rounded up, that's a full one hundred million!
"I've lost money, I've lost money."
"We've suffered a huge loss."
Every time the Luxembourg Team scored a goal, a wail from the twins would echo from the VIP box.
By the time Molly caught them and gave them a lecture, the score had reached 0:150.
The Scottish Team, which had once narrowly missed out on the championship, was utterly defeated, prompting boos from the stands.
Even after giving it their all to score two goals, the boos from the fans never stopped.
20:280, slightly better than the English Team, but how much better?
With such a large score difference, even if Hector Lamont catches the Golden Snitch, he will still lose badly.
The match ended with a score of 20-460, and the Scottish Team slunk off the field on broomsticks.
With such poor results, their pre-match interviews immediately became the biggest joke of the tournament.
Where there are tears, there are laughter.
The Luxembourg Team, having advanced to the semi-finals, jubilantly stepped onto the podium.
They won so easily; they must be laughing in their dreams tonight.
The atmosphere in the VIP box was quite strange at this moment.
The celebratory banquet meticulously prepared by the British Ministry of Magic was ruined. If it weren't for the presence of the delegation from the International Confederation of Wizards, the bigwigs would probably have already started cursing.
There's still a last hope for the Wales team Britain night.
Reaching the top four is out of the question; I'll just hope we don't lose too badly.
But none of this had anything to do with Vincent.
Because he left during the match under the pretext of going to the toilet.
Sirius Black followed closely behind.
They hid in the stairwell to watch the rest of the game, cursing as they watched.
The problems of Scottish Team are even greater than those of English Team.
Apart from Seeker Hector Lamont, the other six players seemed to be sleepwalking, barely even there to make an appearance.
As the two got up to go back, they ran into Moody, who was leaving quietly.
An old hand is an old hand; he managed to hold out until the end of the match.
Vincent greeted him politely, "Long time no see, Mr. Moody."
"Haven't seen you for a long time."
After a brief chat, Sirius Black suggested finding a place to catch up and have a drink.
Vincent didn't care, as long as he didn't go to places with wizards.
Moody's did not refuse.
Dumbledore invited him to watch the game so that he could interact more with the outside world and not always stay at home alone and overthink things.
The three left the stadium quietly and went to an open-air bar on Devon Beach.
It's past 1 a. m., and there are only a few scattered tables of Muggle tourists on vacation around here.
The waiter timidly approached with the menu.
Moody's face is covered in scars, he wears a moving prosthetic eye, and he's even missing a leg; it's hard not to be frightened.
Vincent ordered two whiskeys in the gentlest of his voice, then pushed the menu in front of him. "Mr. Moody, what would you like to order?"
"No need." Moody pulled a rose-colored flask from his coat pocket. "This will be fine with me."
"What about food?"
"No need, I'm not hungry yet."
Sirius Black picked up the menu and ordered some seafood barbecue. "Mr. Moody, I didn't know you had a habit of carrying alcohol with you."
Moody shook the flask in his hand. "It doesn't contain wine, it contains water."
Ah?
This legendary Auror is far too cautious; Vincent didn't know what to say.
Sirius Black, who was standing nearby, seized the opportunity and snatched the flask from the ground. "Mr. Moody, you're being too polite. We've known each other for over ten years."
Moody glared at him with a stern face. "Kid, what do you know? It's never a bad idea to be careful."
Sirius Black opened the flask lid and smelled it. "It really is water."
He looked at the trembling waiter and said, "Another whiskey, please. That's all for now."
Moody snatched the flask back, saying, "Alcohol will affect my judgment. You guys drink if you want."
Sirius Black was speechless.
What legendary Auror? He's just a stubborn old man.
Three glasses of whiskey were served quickly.
Sirius Black winked at Vincent, who understood and raised his glass.
"Cheers!"
After downing half a glass of wine, the two began praising each other in an exaggerated manner.
"Smooth on the palate, with a mellow aftertaste, a fine wine!"
"It has a rich aroma and distinct fruit flavors; it is truly a rare and excellent wine!"
Moody knew perfectly well that the two kids were trying to seduce him.
He calmly took a sip of water.
After the seafood barbecue was served, Vincent picked up a grilled oyster and started eating it.
"Mmm... sweet and juicy, delicious!"
Sirius Black was even more flamboyant; before even putting a bite in his mouth, he had already closed his eyes and was enjoying it, exclaiming, "Oh... I smell the ocean!"
Moody's hand holding the flask trembled slightly.
He glanced at the seafood barbecue on the table, then took another sip of water, somewhat annoyed.
Vincent and Sirius Black exchanged a glance.
With a little more effort, we can definitely win over this stubborn old man.